Ecotricity to increase winter energy prices

Ecotricity has announced it is going to increase electricity and gas prices this winter.

The green supplier said gas prices will rise by 3.8% and electricity by 7.8% from the 14th of November.

It added bills in total could increase by an average of 5.7% which is just more than £1 a week for a regular home.

The average bill for an Ecotricity dual-fuel customer will increase from £1,087 to £1,149 per year once the price rise kicks in.

The decision to raise prices is due to “dramatic” costs from grid operators to use their networks and the government’s decision to set a carbon tax on green energy, according to the British supplier.

It claims those changes have increased its costs by around £20 million per year, forcing the company to raise prices for the first time in four years.

The firm added: “We’re not passing on the full impact of that extra £20m cost – we’re absorbing about half through greater efficiencies in the way we do things, including further improving our app and online account, which thousands of customers are already using.”

Last week, Good Energy promised to freeze its electricity and gas prices this winter.

Two of the Big Six bosses, Alistair Phillips-Davies, CEO of SSE and Gab Barbaro, Managing Director at British Gas Business, will be speaking at Energy Live 2016. Get your tickets here.

There are limited free tickets for energy end users and university students.